Overhead trolley frog and switch



Oct. 3, 1944. s. s. MATTHES OVERHEAD TROLLEY FROG AND SWITCH Fil ed May 13, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 SAMUEL s. MATTHES Gtforneg Oct. 3, 1944. s. s. MATTHES OVERHEAD TROLLEY AND SWITCH Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13, 1943 l I/ l E inventor SAMUEL S. MATTHES FIGS I Gttomeg Patented Oct. 3, 1944 OVERHEAD TROLLEY FROG AND SWITCH Samuel S. Matthes, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 13, 1943, Serial No. 486,910

8 Claims.

My invention relates to overhead trolley frogs and switches.

One object of my invention is to provide a frog or switch with means to form a complete guide across the frog.

Another object of my invention is to provide a frog or switch with a complete main guide having means which will yield to permit passage of a current collector from a branch guide onto the main guide.

Another object of my invention is to provide a frog or switch having means to force a current collector from a branch guide onto the main guide.

Another object of my invention is to provide a frog or switch having means whereby any two oppositely disposed guides may be aligned.

Another object of my invention is to provide a frog or switch having yielding means which may be positioned between any two oppositely disposed guides to change the direction of the complete main guide-way across the frog.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description of my invention.

My invention resides in the new and useful combination and relation of the parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings. 1

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a bottom plan View of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig 3 is a top plan view of my invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of an adjustable portion of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-Ii of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged section on line 'I'I of Fig. 3 but omitting the trolley wires.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a face and edge View respectively of a resilient guide member.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I employ a body or pan I provided with an auxiliary pan I and a plurality of guides 2-2 at one end of the pan I, and a single guide 3 on the pan I spaced from the guides 2-2. All guides are integrally formed with the pans I and I' respectively and project from the lower face of the pans respectively and extend longitudinally thereon.

The pan I and guide 3 are adjustable relative to the pan I and to the guides 2-2 whereby the longitudinal axis of the guide 3 may be brought into alignment with the longitudinal axes of one or the other of the guides. 2'-2" and secured in either aligned position. The abutting end faces of the pans I and I are arcuate and the center of the are or its vertical axis is located between the said ends and the outer end of the pan I" and about which center or axis the pans are relatively adjustable.

The guide 3 is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 as in a neutral position but when adjusted into alignment with the guide 2 their axes will coincide with the line a.b.

The gap between the ends of the guides is filled by a yielding member 4, the axis of which is very slightly out of alignment with the guides when the guides are in alignment.

The member 4 is preferably spring steel and may be removed from either guide and associated with the other guide; This is made possible by providing an elongated slot 5 in the inner ends of each guide 2-2 with a, central enlargement 6-. The member 4 is shaped according to the slot 4 and enlargement 5 and of proper size to fit the slot and enlargement, and a stud 1 extending at right angles to the face of the frog pan secures the member 4 in position.

The member 4 is of double thickness on the slot end and the enlargement 8 interlocks with the enlargement 6. The forward or free end of the member 4 engages the end of the member 3.

The auxiliary pan I is arranged to be adjustably mounted on the upper side of the end of the pan I and is provided at one end with projecting lugs 9,. each having elongated throughslot I0 to receive a bolt or stud II screwed into the lugs ll of the pan I. v

Each lug 9 is provided with a lug or extension I2 which in turn is provided with a pad or slightly raised portion I3 which rests upon the slightly raised pad or projection I4 on the pan I. The projections I2 and pads I3 act as a brace to stiffen the pan I under the pulling strain of the trolley wire I5.

The above construction of the pan I and its relation to the pan I permits adjustment into alignment with the lines 11-22 or cd.

Projecting laterally from each side of the pan I is a slotted lug I8 which receives a pull-ofi on strain wire to support the device.

Mounted on the upper sides of the pans I and I and forming an integralpart thereof are spaced lugs I9 provided with through and registering holes 20 and forming the slots 2| to receive the trolley wires and the removable tips 22.

The tips 22' are each provided with a pair of spaced lips forming a longitudinal slot in which rests the trolley wire which is held in place by peening the lips onto the wire.

The tips are provided with a tongue which is \positioned in the slot 2I and held in place by bolts which pass through the openings 2| and registering openings in the tongue.

The trolley wire I5l5 is usually the main Wire and is not severed while the wire I6 is a branch wire and ends in the frog and both wires are held in place by the clamp attachment 24 from which the pan I is detachable without disturbing the wires held in the clamp.

The attachment 24 comprises the yoke member 25 held to the pan I by the bolts 26. Projecting rearwardly from the yoke 25 and forming a part thereof is the lug 21 and grooved clamp members 28 to receive between them the trolley wires held therebetween by the bolts 29.

The yoke member 25 is provided with the slotted side lugs I8 for span supporting wires.

In service the guide 3 on the auxiliary pan or body is usually set in alignment with the guides 2 or 2', whichever forms part of the main trolley system and the member 4 is arranged, to fill the gap between the guides when the body I has been adjusted and the bolts I I are tightened. A current collector may now pass in either direction along the wires I5--I5 assuming the guide 3 is set in alignment with the guide 2.

A current collector may also pass from the branch conductor IS on the main wire l5 due to the member 4 yielding. The distance a: (Fig. 1) between the fixed flange 30 and the member 4 is less than the overall width of the current collector, whereby just prior to the current collector passing onto the guide 3, the collector will contact the fixed flange 30 and crowd the member 4 away from the tip 3| of the guide 3 and form an opening therebetween for the flange of the current collector to enter and pass onto the guide 3.

The current collector cannot pass from the v trolley wire I5 onto the wire IS. The ramps 32 and 32' (Fig. 2) slope downward from the end of the body I and l' respectively and the lower surface of the guides 2 and 2' and 3 slope upwardly from their outer ends, with respect to the horizontal, with the result that the current collector passes from the guides onto the ramp or pan much more gradually and easily than though all of the slope were in the ramp or in the guide.

The auxiliary body I constitutes an easily relplaceable member and is subject to more wear than the main body since the frog is usually so used that the collector passes from the wire I5 onto the frog, and in passing from full contact with the body I upon which the collector flanges ride until the collector reaches the guide 2. Experience shows that the auxiliary body wears more rapidly just where the collector engages it in passing from the guide, than the main body wears at any point. If the direction of travel of the current collector should be reversed as is occasionally done, the wear will be on the pan at its entering end; the travel, however, is usually from the wire I5 towards the wire I5.

I claim:

1. The combination with the main pan of a trolley frog having fixed and spaced guides at one end, of an auxiliary pan at the other end provided with a single guide, the auxiliary pan being attached to the main pan and adjustable about a vertical axis positioned between the end of the main pan and the outer end of the amtiliary pan to bring the single guide into longitudinal alignment with any one of the other first said guides and common means to secure the auxiliary pan to the main pan and the single guide in alignment with any one of the first said guides, a pair of slotted lugs on one pan and a pair of lugs on the other pan, a lug of each pair being positioned on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the pans, the said lugs arranged to receive said securing means for the purpose described and means projecting over the main pan from the inner end of the auxiliary pan and positioned on opposite sides of said longitudinal center line and also engaging the main pan to brace the auxiliary pan against bending out of vertical aligmnent with the plane of the main pan due to the pull of the trolley wire.

2. In an overhead trolley frog having a pair of guide members at one end of a single guide member at the other end with their inner ends spaced apart, and a resilient member completely bridging the gap between one of the said pair of guides and the said single guide, the said pair of guides each having a slotted inner end with the slot enlarged at one portion to receive the resilient member, the combination with the resilient member of enlarged means thereon to cooperate with the enlarged portion of the slot to prevent longitudinal movement of the resilient member relative to the guide and means extending through an opening in the enlarged portion of the resilient member and at right angles to the face of the frog to secure the member in the slot.

3. In an overhead trolley frog having a pair of guides at one end and a single guide at the other end adjustable about a vertical axis into alignment with either guide of said pair of guides, the inner ends of the guides being spaced apart, the combination with one of the said pairs of guides and the said single guide of a resilient bridging member having one end fixed to the inner end of one of said pair of guides and the other or free end of the bridging member movably associated with the inner end of the said guide, the end portion of the last said guide being of reduced thickness where engaged by the free end of the resilient member for the purpose described.

4. An auxiliary end member for a main portion of an overhead trolley frog, having in combination a body portion, an elongated guide portion for a current collector, the said guide portion projecting transversely from one face of the body and extending longitudinally along the said face, slotted and spaced lugs projecting laterally from one end of the body portion to receive means on the main portion to secure the auxiliary end member to the main portion and \permit lateral adjustment of the auxiliary member relative to the main portion about a vertical axis for the purpose described and other means projecting from the said slotted and spaced projecting lugs to overlay and engage the main portion to brace the auxiliary portion against bending out of alignment with the main portion, the said axis being spaced from said slotted lugs.

5. In an auxiliary fitting for a main portion of an overhead trolley frog comprising a body portion, an enlongated flange like guide portion of less length than the body portion projecting from the lower face of the body portion and extending longitudinally along the said face to guide a current collector, the lower edge of the guide forming a contact surface for the current collector the combination with one end of the body portion of means whereby the auxiliary fitting may be attached to the main portion the said means comprising laterally projecting slotted lugs to receive bolts secured in the main portion of the frog, and longitudinally projecting spaced lugs from said end to slidably engage the said main portion to brace the auxiliary fitting against strain of the trolley wire tending to raise the other end of the fitting when in use. 6. An overhead trolley frog comprising a main body with a pair of diverging and integrally formed guides projecting from the body at one end thereof and extending longitudinally along the body, an auxiliary body attached to the other end of the main body and provided with a single integrally formed guide projecting transversely from the auxiliary body and extending longitudinally along the auxiliary body, means attaching the auxiliary body to the main body whereby the auxiliary body may be laterally adjusted relative to the main body about a vertical axis positioned without the length of the main body and the said single guide brought into alignment with one of the pair of guides, a yielding member attached to one of the aligned pair of guides and movably engaging the adjacent end of the other aligned guide whereby the space between the inner ends of the aligned guides is bridged by the yielding member to form a positive guide for the current collector from one aligned guide to the other aligned guide, means to secure the auxiliary body in adjusted position and means at theouter end of each guide whereby removable tips may be attached to the frog in alignment with the guides to receive and secure the trolley wires thereto.

7. In an overhead trolley frog to guide a cur-- rent collector at the intersection of a main and branch trolley wire and having a plurality of spaced guide members extending longitudinally and having spaced inner ends and a resilient bridging member having one end fixed to the inher end of one of the said guides and its other end free and engaging the inner end of the longitudinally disposed opposite guide, the end of the guide to which the end of the bridging member is fixed having a longitudinally disposed slot in which the bridging member end is positioned, the combination with the bridging member and the guide to which it is attached, of enlarged means on the bridging member cooperating with means forming a part of the said 7 slot to interlock the guide and bridging member against relative longitudinal movement, an

opening through the enlarged means extending" transversely to the face of the frog, and means positioned in the opening of the enlarged means to hold the bridging member fixed in the slot.

8. An auxiliary end member for a main portion of an overhead trolley frog, provided with a pair of guides for a current collector, having in combination a body portion, an elongated guide portion for a current collector, the said guide portion projecting from one face of the body and extending longitudinally along the said face, slotted means projecting laterally from one end of the body portion and arranged to rest upon the upper surface of the said main portion whereby the body portion may be adjustably attached to an end of the said main portion whereby the guide portion on the auxiliary end member may be brought into alignment with either guide on the main portion, the lower face of the body portion being even or flush with the lower face of the main portion, the said guides being of less length than the body portion, the height of the guide gradually decreasing from a maximum at the entering end of the body whereby the current collector flanges will ride upon the body portion prior to leaving the body portion and spaced lugs projecting from the other face of the body portion at or adjacent the entering end of the body whereby renewable trolley wire holding tips may be secured to the body portion.

SAMUEL S. MAT'II-IES. 

